Multipotent Mesenchymal Cells Homing and Differentiation on Poly(ε-caprolactone) Blended with 20% Tricalcium Phosphate and Polylactic Acid Incorporating 10% Hydroxyapatite 3D-Printed Scaffolds via a Commercial Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Device

Nicola De Angelis; Andrea Amaroli; Alberto Lagazzo; Fabrizio Barberis; Pier Raffaele Zarro; Alessia Cappelli; Maria Giovanna Sabbieti; Dimitrios Agas

doi:10.3390/biology12121474

Multipotent Mesenchymal Cells Homing and Differentiation on Poly(ε-caprolactone) Blended with 20% Tricalcium Phosphate and Polylactic Acid Incorporating 10% Hydroxyapatite 3D-Printed Scaffolds via a Commercial Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Device

Biology (Basel). 2023 Nov 28;12(12):1474. doi: 10.3390/biology12121474.

Authors

Nicola De Angelis^{1

2}, Andrea Amaroli³, Alberto Lagazzo⁴, Fabrizio Barberis⁴, Pier Raffaele Zarro⁵, Alessia Cappelli⁵, Maria Giovanna Sabbieti⁵, Dimitrios Agas⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgical and Diagnostic Sciences (DISC), Unit of Implant and Prosthodontics, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
² Department of Dentistry, University Trisakti, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia.
³ Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
⁴ Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of Genoa, 16100 Genoa, Italy.
⁵ School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.

Abstract

As highlighted by the 'Global Burden of Disease Study 2019' conducted by the World Health Organization, ensuring fair access to medical care through affordable and targeted treatments remains crucial for an ethical global healthcare system. Given the escalating demand for advanced and urgently needed solutions in regenerative bone procedures, the critical role of biopolymers emerges as a paramount necessity, offering a groundbreaking avenue to address pressing medical needs and revolutionize the landscape of bone regeneration therapies. Polymers emerge as excellent solutions due to their versatility, making them reliable materials for 3D printing. The development and widespread adoption of this technology would impact production costs and enhance access to related healthcare services. For instance, in dentistry, the use of commercial polymers blended with β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) is driven by the need to print a standardized product with osteoconductive features. However, modernization is required to bridge the gap between biomaterial innovation and the ability to print them through commercial printing devices. Here we showed, for the first time, the metabolic behavior and the lineage commitment of bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal cells (MSCs) on the 3D-printed substrates poly(e-caprolactone) combined with 20% tricalcium phosphate (PCL + 20% β-TCP) and L-polylactic acid (PLLA) combined with 10% hydroxyapatite (PLLA + 10% HA). Although there are limitations in printing additive-enriched polymers with a predictable and short half-life, the tested 3D-printed biomaterials were highly efficient in supporting osteoinductivity. Indeed, considering different temporal sequences, both 3D-printed biomaterials resulted as optimal scaffolds for MSCs' commitment toward mature bone cells. Of interest, PLLA + 10% HA substrates hold the confirmation as the finest material for osteoinduction of MSCs.

Keywords: 3D printing; additive manufacturing; biopolymer; mesenchymal stem cells; osteoinductive factors; personalized medicine.

Grants and funding

This work was partially supported by the UNICAM Noemi Avicolli funds.